Moab’s Rebellion 1 UST After Jehoshaphat had been ruling Judah for almost 18 years, Jehoram son of Ahab became the king of Israel. He ruled that kingdom from the city of Samaria for 12 years. BSB BSB: In the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat’s reign over Judah, Jehoram son of Ahab became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria twelve years.
2 UST He did things that Yahweh had told the Israelites were evil. But he did not do as many evil things as his father Ahab and his mother Jezebel had done. He destroyed the stone pillar for worshiping Baal that his father had set up. BSB BSB: And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not as his father and mother had done. He removed the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made.
3 UST However, he did not destroy the golden calves that Jeroboam son of Nebat had made. When Jeroboam made those calves, he led the Israelites to sin{ by worshiping idols}. Jehoram did not lead the people to stop doing that. BSB BSB: Nevertheless, he clung to the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them.
5 UST But after King Ahab died, Mesha rebelled{ and refused to pay this tribute to} the king of Israel. BSB BSB: But after the death of Ahab, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
6 UST When Mesha rebelled, King Jehoram left the city of Samaria and gathered soldiers from throughout Israel{ to reconquer the Moabites}. BSB BSB: So at that time King Jehoram set out from Samaria and mobilized all Israel.
7 UST Then he sent messengers to Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah. They told him on behalf of Jehoram,“The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you lead your army and join me as I lead my army to fight to reconquer Moab?” Jehoshaphat told them to tell Jehoram,“Yes, I will help you. I will lead my army and join you as you lead your army. My soldiers and their horses will fight alongside your soldiers and their horses.” BSB BSB: And he sent a message to Jehoshaphat king of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?” “I will go,” replied Jehoshaphat. “I am as you are, my people are your people, and my horses are your horses.”
8 UST Jehoram then sent the messengers back to ask Jehoram,“What route should we take to attack Moab?” Jehoshaphat told them to tell Jehoram,“We should attack Moab through the desolate area in the land of Edom.” BSB BSB: Then he asked, “Which way shall we go up?” “By way of the Desert of Edom,” replied Joram.
9 UST So the kings of Israel and Judah led their armies along that route. When they got to Edom, the king of Edom joined them with his army. They spent seven days marching around the southern end of the Sea of the Arabah. By that time, there was no water left for the soldiers or for the animals they had with them. BSB BSB: So the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom set out, and after they had traveled a roundabout route for seven days, they had no water for their army or for their animals.
10 UST The king of Israel exclaimed,“This is a terrible situation! It seems that Yahweh has led us three kings and our armies here so that the Moabite army can defeat us!” BSB BSB: “Alas,” said the king of Israel, “for the LORD has summoned these three kings to deliver them into the hand of Moab!”
11 UST Jehoshaphat said,“We should ask Yahweh what we should do. Is one of his prophets here?” One of Jehoram’ s army officers replied,“Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He was Elijah’ s servant.” BSB BSB: But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of the LORD here? Let us inquire of the LORD through him.” And one of the servants of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.”
12 UST Jehoshaphat said,“Yahweh will give him a message for us.” So those three kings went to speak with Elisha. BSB BSB: Jehoshaphat affirmed, “The word of the LORD is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.
13 UST Elisha told the king of Israel,“You have no right to ask me for help! You worship Baal, just as your father and mother did, so ask Baal’ s prophets to help you.” But Jehoram replied,“No, we want you to ask Yahweh because it seems that Yahweh has led us three kings and our armies here so that the Moabite army can defeat us.” BSB BSB: Elisha, however, said to the king of Israel, “What have we to do with each other? Go to the prophets of your father and of your mother!” “No,” replied the king of Israel, “for it is the LORD who has summoned these three kings to deliver them into the hand of Moab.”
14 UST Elisha replied,“I serve Yahweh, the commander of the heavenly armies. I swear by Yahweh that I am only helping you at all because you have Jehoshaphat king of Judah with you, and I respect him. BSB BSB: Then Elisha said, “As surely as the LORD of Hosts lives, before whom I stand, were it not for my regard for the presence of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you or acknowledge you.
15 UST So bring someone to me who plays the harp.”{ So they did that, and} when the person played the harp, Yahweh gave Elisha the power to prophesy. BSB BSB: But now, bring me a harpist.” And while the harpist played, the hand of the LORD came upon Elisha
16 UST He said,“Yahweh is telling you to dig as many ditches as you can in this valley, BSB BSB: and he said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Dig this valley full of ditches.’
17 UST because he is going to make it rain too far away for you to see, but the water from the storm will flow into this valley. As a result, your soldiers, your livestock, and your pack animals will have plenty of water to drink. BSB BSB: For the LORD says, ‘You will not see wind or rain, but the valley will be filled with water, and you will drink—you and your cattle and your animals.’
18 UST Yahweh considers that an easy thing to do{, since he will also do something much greater}. He will enable you to defeat the army of Moab. BSB BSB: This is a simple matter in the sight of the LORD, and He will also deliver the Moabites into your hand.
19 UST You will conquer every important city in Moab, including those that have high walls around them. You will cut down all their fruit trees. You will stop the water from flowing from their springs. And you will ruin their fertile fields by covering them with rocks.” BSB BSB: And you shall attack every fortified city and every city of importance. You shall cut down every good tree, stop up every spring, and ruin every good field with stones.”
20 UST Early the next morning, it was the time when the Israelites customarily offered a grain sacrifice. They suddenly saw water flowing toward them from the direction of Edom. It filled all the ditches they had dug. BSB BSB: The next morning, at the time of the morning sacrifice, water suddenly flowed from the direction of Edom and filled the land.
21 UST The people of Moab learned that the three kings had come with their armies to fight against them. So they summoned all of their soldiers, including youths who were just learning to fight. The Moabite soldiers set up a defensive position at the border of their land with Edom. BSB BSB: Now all the Moabites had heard that the kings had come up to fight against them. So all who could bear arms, young and old, were summoned and stationed at the border.
22 UST When they got up early the next morning, they looked over to where the other armies were. They saw the sunrise reflecting on the water, and this made the water look red like blood. BSB BSB: When they got up early in the morning, the sun was shining on the water, and it looked as red as blood to the Moabites across the way.
23 UST They exclaimed,“Look, that is blood! Soldiers from those three kingdoms must have fought and killed each other. As a result, the armies must have destroyed each other! So let us go and take their weapons and possessions!” BSB BSB: “This is blood!” they exclaimed. “The kings have clashed swords and slaughtered one another. Now to the plunder, Moab!”
24 UST So they went to the area where the soldiers from Israel, Judah, and Edom had set up their tents. But those soldiers attacked the Moabite soldiers and forced them to retreat. The Israelite, Judean, and Edomite soldiers pursued them into the land of Moab. They began attacking the people there. BSB BSB: But when the Moabites came to the camp of Israel, the Israelites rose up and attacked them, and they fled before them. So the Israelites invaded their land and struck down the Moabites.
25 UST Those soldiers destroyed the Moabite cities. Whenever they passed fertile fields, they threw many rocks onto them. They stopped the water from flowing from the springs. They cut down the fruit trees. Finally{ the Moabite capital of} Kir Hareseth was the only city they had not destroyed. Israelite, Judean, and Edomite soldiers threw stones from slings from places all around the city and killed many of the defenders on its walls. BSB BSB: They destroyed the cities, and each man threw stones on every good field until it was covered. They stopped up every spring and cut down every good tree. Only Kir-haraseth was left with stones in place, but men with slings surrounded it and attacked it as well.
26 UST The king of Moab realized that his enemies were defeating him. So he gathered 700 soldiers who fought well with swords. He led them to try to fight their way through to where the king of Edom was leading his soldiers. But they were not able to do that. BSB BSB: When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen to break through to the king of Edom, but they could not prevail.
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